THERMOGRAPHY

Thermography is an effective, safe, and comfortable adjunctive procedure for screening for breast cancer. Thermography is NOT a stand-alone diagnostic test but is a safe and more comfortable way for women to screen for breast cancer more frequently. In some cases, breast thermography has detected breast cancer in women with negative mammograms. The November 2012 article in the New England Journal of Medicine brought this fact to light. “Mammograms have failed to reduce fatalities in cancer across a population base as a sole method of screening.” Thus, a multi-modal approach, incorporating more methods than just mammography, could be lifesaving to many women.

Additionally, a very important area of consideration is the neglected category of women under the age of 40, as well as women with dense breasts who are unable to be effectively screened with mammography and the current standard of care. A push is currently underway to use thermography as a method to cover this gap. There are over 20,000 cases of breast cancer in the age group of women under 40 each year in the USA. When cancer occurs in a younger woman it is usually a much more aggressive form, and less likely to respond to treatment. There is currently no routine screening test for women under 40.  We propose that thermography may fill this void and should be investigated as a viable test for these women.